“We feel that you have created a much needed, beautiful resource that fills a gap for young people and young adults who are too often left to make sense of these things on their own.”
Child Psychologist working in Kensington & Chelsea, and heavily involved in supporting the local school community following the Grenfell Tower Fire
“I’ve suffered from various severe mental health problems since being a young teenager, and anxiety has a big part to play in a lot of it. In Swirl, it’s nice that all the information is compact and together, because I know that at least…
Founder of Yoga Therapies, Newcastle upon Tyne
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
Without a doubt, work.
How do you deal with ‘what if’ and ‘should have’ thoughts if they play on your mind?
I’ve always been fairly meticulous with planning and decision making, so even though that process is often extended, once I make a decision I’m usually pretty good at sticking with it and don’t often find myself heading down the ’should have’ route. …
Mental Health Advocate | Creator of The Girl and the City
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
Overthinking is a pastime for me. I tend to think about all of the things I can’t control — which as you can imagine is a lot. What causes the most anxiety for me is the discomfort in knowing that something could go wrong, and if I don’t orchestrate and over-engineer a situation I could risk failing.
How do you deal with ‘what if’ and ‘should have’ thoughts if they play on your mind?
Some things are bigger than me. I won’t be able to control the ‘what if’ scenarios, and I can’t change the ‘should haves.’ I am still learning to let go of possible negative outcomes, I can’t say I’ve figured it out… But I…
Digital Design Director @ The Guardian
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
Overthinking for me manifests itself as ‘under-creating’. When I have not been able to do much creative work I always feel low. And that is when the mind wanders. I wouldn’t say I have a specific thing I overthink about. Sometimes though if things are not going right — if work i’ve done gets rejected or if something you want to happen doesn’t, then the questions of “is it me?” creep up. …
Digital Design Director @ The Guardian
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
Overthinking for me manifests itself as ‘under-creating’. When I have not been able to do much creative work I always feel low. And that is when the mind wanders. I wouldn’t say I have a specific thing I overthink about. Sometimes though if things are not going right — if work i’ve done gets rejected or if something you want to happen doesn’t, then the questions of “is it me?” creep up. …
Writer & Founder of Ina’Xaashi
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
How to take a creative idea from conception to execution and dwelling on whether I’m good enough to pull it off in the first place.
What do you do at night if your mind is swirling with thoughts?
Turn my phone off, place it out of reach, close my eyes and try to focus on my breathing. Sometimes I get my thoughts down on paper, however incoherent or irrational they may seem, as a way of clearing my mind.
When you feel overwhelmed what do you do to cope?
I’m still working this one out tbh but current approach is: if my feelings overwhelm, try to treat myself like I would treat a child in my care, with lots of patience, kindness and…
Co-Owner of Lokal Hotel, Philadelphia
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
Mostly marketing/branding tasks for our hotel brand. The problem with creating a new brand that is active upscale and on social media is that you have to be present and continually create quality content. Most other luxury hotel brands have teams and/or agencies managing their marketing campaigns. For us, it’s just me and it’s not even my primary role. I constantly am worrying that I am not doing enough or the right things or things that are good enough across the board in our marketing/branding and that it will have both a short and long term effect on our profitability.
Freelance Designer & Made of Millions Cofounder
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
The main thought that keeps coming up over and over again is the idea of not doing enough. I become blind to the things that I’ve done or accomplished and instead focus on all of the things I have wanted to do and haven’t done. And in that light it just feels like failure.
How do you deal with ‘what if’ and ‘should have’ thoughts if they play on your mind?
One, I try to refocus my thoughts and pay more attention to something positive or something I’m proud of. The second is I move out of production mode and into planning mode because I find that when I have a game plan or to-do list in…
Made of Millions Cofounder / Editor
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
How I interact with other people. I struggle a lot with social anxiety. My most intense ruminations center around how I speak, my body language, my likability, and if I’m acting “normal” in a given scenario. I experience a ton of physical symptoms as well, and find myself obsessing over somatic functions like my breathing.
How do you deal with ‘what if’ and ‘should have’ thoughts if they play on your mind?
When I can, I separate myself from those thoughts and shrug them off. But I’ve by no means mastered that, and often find myself spiralling into an unproductive place.
It helps to remind myself that perfection is unrealistic, and that ruminating on the past will…
Writer & Made of Millions Cofounder
What do you find yourself overthinking about the most?
The future. Am I on the right life course? Are the decisions I’m making now wise ones given what I want not just now, but down the line.
How do you deal with ‘what if’ and ‘should have’ thoughts if they play on your mind?
Sometimes I deal well. I let them be. I’m getting better at recognising when my thoughts are illusory. That they don’t have any reality outside of my own mind. Sometimes I get lost in the storyline of them and they start to affect my mood negatively
What do you do at night if your mind is swirling with thoughts?
I try to read, even if it’s for five minutes, before bed. It’s good to give a swirling mind fresh inputs. I meditate — sleep meditations…
andy.walton
Writing about anxiety from a personal and professional perspective. Mental Health Nurse based in North East England. Founder of Swirlzine.com
